The Australian Voices turns 30 this year and by way of celebration, the Queensland-based vocal ensemble is heading south to Tasmania to take part in one of the major concert presentations in this year’s Festival of Voices.

Titled Meridians, this Festival of Voices exclusive brings together the Allegri Ensemble, the Hobart Chamber Orchestra, The Australian Voices and the German ensemble Sjaella for a program of choral works by Henyk Gorecki, Arvo Pårt, Stephen Leek and John Rotar, the current Artistic Director of Australian Voices.

Rotar’s contribution will be the world premiere performance of a piece titled Why Fly So High?, based on a text from the pioneering airline hostess turned poet-raconteur Nan Witcomb.

“It goes all the way back to my childhood,” Rotar tells Limelight. “Nan wrote these little books of beautiful little snippets of wisdom called The Thoughts of Nanushka and my mum bought one as a gift to my dad. Why Fly So High? was one of the pieces that stuck with me, a really insightful piece about the speed we live our lives at – and what we miss when we don’t take time to smell the roses.”

With Witcomb’s blessing, Rotar adapted the text into...